Originally posted by kitarad It is something intangible. It is a feeling when you play a game and the game grabs you and holds you and prevents you from logging off. It is not just one thing it is a package the whole thing works to come together. I cannot explain it to you because it is not just one thing like graphics or atmosphere or nostalgia for FF or the world or the game or the way the game progresses. Sorry that is all I have.
The word you're looking for is 'soul' I think. I know exactly what you're trying to describe. Some games just have a life of their own that really draws you in and FFXIV is one of them.
A lot of MMOs are developed with a 'by numbers' attitude, or the game focuses so much on one gimmicky selling point that everything else falls by the wayside. ARR has every feature up to a very high quality level. Nothing feels tacked on and everything has clearly had a lot of love put into it. That's what gives a game its soul and it's what makes ARR so special IMO.
Even if you claim that it is a cover up of other similar MMO's out there, it doesn't matter.
It's set in the Final Fantasy Universe which I grew up playing all my life and couldn't be more excited for a fresh and polished MMO to play.
What sets it apart as well is the whole class/job system so you don't have to make 10 alts in order to play each class. It's all on one character which is something I have always wanted in MMOs.
What I've said to people is, yes, this game doesn't aim to reinvent the wheel, just itself, but it is a robust and solid MMO that's fun to play. It has a wonderful world and cool storylines with great cutscenes. It has soul and charm in spades.
I also don't think I'm alone in wanting a good, solid sub-based game either. After FFXI I went to LOTRO and ever since they went f2p with that I've been searching for something just like FFXIV:ARR. I subbed to LOTRO but never felt my sub fee was truly appreciated, every new feature has been, somehow, tied into the store and I feel like there is a constant attempt to make me spend more.
ARR. on the other hand, says to me "Thanks for subbing" - Just look at the veteran rewards! LOTRO and other games with a cash shop would expect you to buy those things in addition to the sub, SE is giving them to people for simply subbing. It's just so refreshing.
As for progression, yes, it is vertical at the moment, I wouldn't expect it not to be initially but more horizontal progression will probably get added later (I seem to recall it being a good year or two after the EU launch of FFXI that merit points were added for instance).
Think about it, nobody wants to die, there's rules to this game son, I'm justified.
New. Shiny. Nothing else has released recently. Nothing else (worth mentioning) will be releasing in the near future.
I'm interested in it because it's new, and because it's not F2P. The only good MMORPGs that aren't F2P dog poop are WoW (played 6.5 years, feel like it's been flushed by GC and stooges starting with cata, done with it) or incredibly old games that'd cause my beefy PC to cry in insult.
Unless SQEN has something amazing up their sleeves (doubtful) I don't see this game being worth a sub either but it'll be a few months of fun to hold one over til the next edition of MMORPG roulette, which could be a while since the only upcoming premium MMORPGs (TESO, WildStar, EQN) all look lame (GW2 style solo gameplay for TESO - not really an MMORPG, CREDD is facilitated cheating in WildStar - no sale, EQN - too unknown and seemingly not really an MMORPG either).
Premium MMORPGs do not feature built-in cheating via cash for gold pay 2 win. PLAY to win or don't play.
Originally posted by Sajman01 MMOs are always awesome the first 2/3 months before the min-max crowd takes over.
To get that experience with the very high quality polish I saw during beta leads me to believe this might be the best 2 months Ive had in gaming.
Focusing on min-maxing in FFXIV is stupid as hell. If you want a min-max game go to Path of Exile, lol. FFXIV doesn't have that many options in comparison and is thus a bad game for "min-maxers".
I will play FFXIV for the atmosphere, interdependant crafting, music, living breathing world, community and because it is FF! If I want to focus on min-maxing, I always got Path of Exile.
Took me 3 yrs to min-max in FFXI, probably the same goes with this game too.
I really don't want to slam ARR here because I've always liked FF games and I really want it to do well but let's be honest here, it doesn't seem to bring alot of new to the table.
It seems to have very pretty graphics but so do plenty of MMOs i.e. Tera. And sure it's detailed but so are plenty of games i.e GW2. Maybe a good story but that didn't do much for TOR. I know it isn't the combat... I see absolutely no difference from that and a game from 2005. Yet, Everyone that plays it seems to really like and enjoy the game. What's more strange is that ARR doesn't seem to have a hate following like many of it's competitors do for whatever reason. From never playing ARR on the outside looking in I can't see what the big draw to the game is and I hope someone can explain it to me.
tldr:
What is the major draw in ARR that pulls you back enough to make it your favorite new MMO? Is the story really that good? Is the world really immersive? That would make sense combined with the music I'm sure square put into the game. Maybe it just gets alot more fun later on? What is about the game that makes it so good for you?
Because it brings all those old aspects of traditional MMOs and puts it in a Final Fantasy skin and then polishes it to the extreme. Not only that, but it offers what I haven't seen in an MMORPG since FFXI. Multiple content paths that aren't always about just leveling and then raiding/grinding for gear. There is so much "extra" and it's all done along the journey, with multitudes of goals to strive for as well as being fun and immersive. The music, sound and graphics are top notch as is the "world" feeling. The storyline is just awesome and paced well, much better than SWTOR with it's really odd pacing that would put me off of the story altogether.
Then you have the roles being nice and solid and every class having it's own story and feel and place in the world and this includes crafting and gathering, all on ONE character which in turn creates a better community in my opinion because people are now actually held a bit more accountable for their actions.
So yeah, that's basically it in a nutshell. Obviously not everyone is going to enjoy an MMORPG that doesn't innovate(although I think it does in ways that have yet to be echoed through out the genre, like the one character any class/job any time aspect and the progression systems that peel back like an onion showing multiple layers of them) but there is quite a following of those like myself itching for this type of game just brought to the modern era with all the new bells and whistles of today's computers.
You do a very good job of making a case for FF, but then you say that it has a better story than SWTOR, I really had to face palm to that-like most mmo's TOR needs to improve themselves (space game I am looking at you) but to say that FF has a better story is the height of folly.
Comments
The word you're looking for is 'soul' I think. I know exactly what you're trying to describe. Some games just have a life of their own that really draws you in and FFXIV is one of them.
A lot of MMOs are developed with a 'by numbers' attitude, or the game focuses so much on one gimmicky selling point that everything else falls by the wayside. ARR has every feature up to a very high quality level. Nothing feels tacked on and everything has clearly had a lot of love put into it. That's what gives a game its soul and it's what makes ARR so special IMO.
Even if you claim that it is a cover up of other similar MMO's out there, it doesn't matter.
It's set in the Final Fantasy Universe which I grew up playing all my life and couldn't be more excited for a fresh and polished MMO to play.
What sets it apart as well is the whole class/job system so you don't have to make 10 alts in order to play each class. It's all on one character which is something I have always wanted in MMOs.
I don't really know what to say... I just feel happy to just log-in and think: "I'm here once again!"
What I've said to people is, yes, this game doesn't aim to reinvent the wheel, just itself, but it is a robust and solid MMO that's fun to play. It has a wonderful world and cool storylines with great cutscenes. It has soul and charm in spades.
I also don't think I'm alone in wanting a good, solid sub-based game either. After FFXI I went to LOTRO and ever since they went f2p with that I've been searching for something just like FFXIV:ARR. I subbed to LOTRO but never felt my sub fee was truly appreciated, every new feature has been, somehow, tied into the store and I feel like there is a constant attempt to make me spend more.
ARR. on the other hand, says to me "Thanks for subbing" - Just look at the veteran rewards! LOTRO and other games with a cash shop would expect you to buy those things in addition to the sub, SE is giving them to people for simply subbing. It's just so refreshing.
As for progression, yes, it is vertical at the moment, I wouldn't expect it not to be initially but more horizontal progression will probably get added later (I seem to recall it being a good year or two after the EU launch of FFXI that merit points were added for instance).
Think about it, nobody wants to die, there's rules to this game son, I'm justified.
New. Shiny. Nothing else has released recently. Nothing else (worth mentioning) will be releasing in the near future.
I'm interested in it because it's new, and because it's not F2P. The only good MMORPGs that aren't F2P dog poop are WoW (played 6.5 years, feel like it's been flushed by GC and stooges starting with cata, done with it) or incredibly old games that'd cause my beefy PC to cry in insult.
Unless SQEN has something amazing up their sleeves (doubtful) I don't see this game being worth a sub either but it'll be a few months of fun to hold one over til the next edition of MMORPG roulette, which could be a while since the only upcoming premium MMORPGs (TESO, WildStar, EQN) all look lame (GW2 style solo gameplay for TESO - not really an MMORPG, CREDD is facilitated cheating in WildStar - no sale, EQN - too unknown and seemingly not really an MMORPG either).
Premium MMORPGs do not feature built-in cheating via cash for gold pay 2 win. PLAY to win or don't play.
Took me 3 yrs to min-max in FFXI, probably the same goes with this game too.
You do a very good job of making a case for FF, but then you say that it has a better story than SWTOR, I really had to face palm to that-like most mmo's TOR needs to improve themselves (space game I am looking at you) but to say that FF has a better story is the height of folly.